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Greetings!
The Harvard Humanitarian is a monthly e-newsletter compiled by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) to publicize news, publications, and events in the Harvard community related to advancing responses to humanitarian crises of war and disaster. Please help us make this a robust resource by contributing your Harvard community news items via email. |
SPECIAL FEATURE: EYES ON SUDAN
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Satellite Sentinel Project Provides Images of Troop Presence around Sudan's Volatile Abyei Region
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The Satellite Sentinel Project captures image of troop buildup near Muglad in South Kordofan. (Image by DigitalGlobe)
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Over the past month, the Satellite Sentinel Project has confirmed that the Sudanese Army Forces (SAF) has deployed company-sized units of troops along Sudan's volatile North-South border. However, the project's first report also indicates that the SAF troops do not appear prepared for imminent forward movement. This provides a window for the peace process to address outstanding North-South issues which, if unresolved, could trigger renewed conflict.
The satellite imagery collected to date provides photographic corroboration of company-size deployments, light armor, mobile artillery, and other offensive military equipment, as well as helicopter transport. The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative has overseen the analysis of the imagery which has been captured in high-resolution by DigitalGlobe, a leading commercial satellite firm.
The Satellite Sentinel Project marks the first sustained, public effort to systematically monitor and report on potential hotspots and threats to security along a border. "Traditionally, the human rights community has documented abuses that have already occurred," said Dr. Charlie Clements, HHI Associate Faculty member. "The Satellite Sentinel Project represents a new opportunity for policy makers and the public to have access to the same types of information that could save lives if widely shared and acted upon."
To see the full report, the latest satellite images and for more information or ways to take action, visit www.satsentinel.org. To read more about HHI's part in the Satellite Sentinel Project, visit our Crisis Mapping and Early Warning Page.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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HHI Steering Committee Member Dr. Susan Briggs Develops Online Course on Disaster Medical Response
HHI Steering Committee member Dr. Susan Briggs MD, MPH, FACS, Associate Professor of Surgery, has developed the first online course on disaster medical response for Harvard Medical School's Department of Continuing Education. Dr. Briggs is co-director of the Office of Disaster Response, Center for Global Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, editor of the American Journal of Disaster Medicine and a member of HHI. To read more about the course and to enroll, click here.
Faculty Affiliate Begins Evaluation of Ushahidi-Kenya Project
During the first two weeks of January, HHI Faculty Affiliate Dr. Jennifer Chan, MD, MPH, traveled to Kenya to begin an ongoing 9-month evaluation of the Ushahidi project in Kenya. Partnering with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and supported by the Knight Foundation, the evaluation intends to document case studies of innovative programs within Kenya which use the Ushahidi platform - software which enables high-tech information collection, visualization, and interactive mapping. Through interviews with groups and individuals who have implemented the software, the evaluation aims to help organizations monitor how their efforts might be strengthened and support further implementation. Dr. Chan has posted the first in a series of blog posts on the Ushahidi blog.
'Disaster Relief 2.0' Releases Initial Findings on How Technology Can Improve Humanitarian Response As part of ongoing collaboration with the UN Foundation, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and Vodafone Foundation, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative has released initial findings from its forthcoming research on how technologies like crowd sourcing can improve humanitarian response. Click here to read more. To read more about HHI's Crisis Mapping and Early Warning Program, of which Disaster Relief 2.0 is a part, click here. Crisis Mapping Egypt: Collection of Protest Maps The International Network of Crisis Mappers, a group co-founded by HHI and John Carroll University, has been busy tracking mapping efforts of protests in Egypt. Read Patrick Meier's blog summarizing the crisis mapping response, and see the CrisisMappers' Twitter feed for the latest updates. HHI Fellow Dr. Kelly McQueen to become President of the Arizona Society of Anesthesiologists  HHI Fellow Dr. Kelly McQueen will become the President of the Arizona Society of Anesthesiologists on Feb 19, 2011. One of her goals is to advocate for safe anesthesia in low income countries by educating American anesthesiologists on the global anesthesia crisis. As part of her work , Dr.McQueen will be in Haiti in early February working on an anesthesiology education program to benefit the providers of health care in Haiti. Haiti one year on: Technology and the future of humanitarian aid What are the challenges facing the emerging use of technology in crisis response? John Crowley, HHI Crisis Mapping faculty member, is busy analyzing findings from dozens of interviews with staff from UN agencies, large NGOs, governments and the emerging community of humanitarian mappers. Through his research, he hopes to identify challenges and opportunities for improvement in future humanitarian relief efforts. Read "Haiti one year on: Technology and the future of humanitarian aid," a blog post by Crowley summarizing lessons learned since the Haiti disaster. Susan Bartels Participates in Post-Show Conversation for the Huntington Theater's Ruined Ruined, which will play through February 6 at Boston University's Huntington Theater, spotlights how violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo has contributed to feelings of hope and horror among civilians. Following most showings of the production, the Huntington Theater has hosted an education hour, including Congolese activists, African history professors, and gender-based violence experts. HHI Faculty Susan Bartels shared her experiences with gender-based violence research in eastern DRC after the February 3rd performance. To read more about Ruined or to buy tickets, click here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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| Event times, dates, and locations listed here are subject to change without notice. Please contact the event host for more information.
Global Health Emergencies Course
February 7-18, 2011
Weill Cornell Medical College
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
The Global Emergency Medicine Program at the Weill Cornell Medical College Division of Emergency Medicine, and the New York Academy of Medicine are pleased to announce a two-week unique state-of-the art CME course aimed at healthcare providers engaged in international work. The Global Health Emergencies Course will focus on providing participants the tools and knowledge necessary to engage in high-impact interventions in a variety of global health crises.
Dissolving Boundaries: Extending the Reach of Medicine and Public Health
Monday, February 7
4:00-9:00 PM
Countway Library Minot Room
Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
The fields of medicine and public health continue to change, confronting issues of ever-greater magnitude, and framed by debates concerning the boundary between organized medicine and public health, national versus global health concerns, and personal versus societal responsibility. Successful efforts to engage such issues are critically dependent upon a historical understanding of their evolution.
To RSVP or see more Harvard School of Public Health events, please visit their web site or visit the event site here.
The Right to Water Study Group
Tuesday, February 8 and Tuesday, February 22 5:15-6:45 pm Carr Center Conference Room Harvard Kennedy School
Through research, publications, and dialogue among practitioners and academics, the Carr Center's Right to Water Initiative uses a human rights framework to examine global inequalities in access to clean water. Join a variety of speakers for a bi-weekly study group examining these issues.
This month's topics: Friday, February 8: "Microfinance and the Right to Water - Stuck between Full Cost Recovery and Rights Fulfillment." Speaker: Philip Mader.
Friday, February 25:
Just distribution of water in Iraq: Conflict, Islam and Human Rights" Speaker: Sharmila Murthy.
For more information about this event and other upcoming Carr Center events, please visit the Carr Center events page.
Human Rights and Social Movements Study Group
Friday, February 11 & Friday, February 25, 3:30-5:30 pm Carr Center Conference Room Harvard Kennedy School
Join Timothy McCarthy, the Director of the new Human Rights and Social Movements Program at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, for a bi-weekly study group on human rights and social movements.
This month's topics: To be announced.
For more information about this event and other upcoming Carr Center events, please visit the Carr Center events page. 2011 Humanitarian Action Summit
The 2011 Humanitarian Action Summit will take place March 4-6, 2011. The Summit will bring together over 200 strategic level leaders from NGOs, UN
agencies, donor agencies and federal agencies to discuss complex issues that face the NGO community. The Summit will build directly upon the momentum from prior Humanitarian Health Conferences, utilizing the network of humanitarian leaders, and developing an expanded agenda of critical topics facing the humanitarian health community.
The 2011 Summit will follow a similar work-plan from that developed in 2009. Visit the Humanitarian Action Summit webpage for more information about the summit.
2011 Humanitarian Studies Course
Save the date to volunteer! The field simulation for the 2011 Humanitarian Studies Course will take place from April 15-17 at the Harold Parker State Forest in North Andover, MA. Please email Brian Daly at bdaly1@partners.org if you are interested in volunteering.
For more information visit our website here.
World Conference on Humanitarian Studies: Changing Realities of Conflict and Crisis
The Second World Conference of Humanitarian Studies (WCHS), organized by the International Humanitarian Studies Association (IHSA) and hosted by Tufts University (in collaboration with Harvard University, Columbia University and the Social Science Research Council) will take place June 2-5, 2011. The conference marks a major step in ratcheting up the quality of our understanding of social dynamics in crisis and the greater use of evidence-based humanitarian programming. As with other professional fields, having a forum where cutting edge research can be presented and critiqued is a vital tool in moving the profession forward. For more information, please visit the conference website. |
PUBLICATIONS & PRESS
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- Crowley, John, "Haiti one year out: Technology and the future of humanitarian aid," January 12, 2010.
- "Disaster Relief 2.0: Initial Findings," January 2010.
- Leonzon, Rizza, "The role of technology in humanitarian response," Devex, January 17, 2010.
- "Sudanese Troops Deployed along North-South Border," News from Africa, January 28, 2010.
- O'Connor, Fred, "UN: Mobile tech, Web services to aid in disaster relief," Network World, January 20, 2011.
- "Violence against women: War's overlooked victims," The Economist, January 13, 2010.
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About The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative HHI fosters interdisciplinary collaboration at Harvard University in order to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian strategies for relief, protection, and prevention; instill human rights principles and practices in these strategies; and educate and train the next generation of humanitarian leaders. In 2005, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative was established as a University-wide interfaculty academic and research center, supported by the Office of the Provost and the Harvard School of Public Health with the participation of faculty from Harvard schools and affiliated hospitals. For more information, visit www.hhi.harvard.edu.
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